Green Magic
by Marlee Greenwich
Summary: Daine and Numair: Before they are married but after they become lovers, traveling through Tortall and looking for children with special Gifts like Daine's. They discover a headstrong boy with a very unique gift and events ensue...
1. Chapter 1: Pieter

**(Many of these characters and countries and such are Tamora Pierce's, but if you're reading this then you probably know the books well enough to tell which ones are and aren't my imagination.)**

**(My first fan fic, many more chapters to come if I get reviews.)**

Verilidaine Sarrasri strolled through the edges of what was growing to be a large forest. It was the very height of spring, and the air was full of the sounds and smells of life. Each and every plant was in full bloom, and animals were in abundance; Daine could feel them everywhere. About four yards behind her she could sense two squirrels and a rabbit trailing after her curiously. Whenever she stopped to peer behind her, the small animals would also pause in their tracks and gaze in what they thought was a surreptitious way around bushes to get a good look at this strange creature that was exploring their forest. They could tell that it was neither People nor Two-legger, but what it was exactly was much beyond their knowledge.

Daine was new in this area of Tortall. She and Numair had been moving around for quite a while now, and in each place she had made friends with the animals and the people in the surrounding areas.

Laughing quietly, Daine turned around and knelt down onto the mossy floor of the wood. _You don't need to be afraid of me._ She told the rodents through her mind.

One adventurous squirrel hopped forward a few steps. _How did you get like that?_ He asked. Daine had run across this problem many times before.

"I'm a Two-legger with a bit of People inside me," she explained, now speaking aloud. She placed her hand on her chest, indicating her heart, where she always imagined that her copper-flamed Gift resided.

_You are like…a People inside a Two-legger?_

"Sort of," chuckled Daine, "What's your name?"

_Quickfoot._

"Hello, Quickfoot. I'm just exploring the forest. I hope the People don't mind."

_We don't! _Quickfoot assured her. _You're a nice Two-legger._

"Thank you." Daine grinned. She got up from her knees, not bothering to wipe the damp dirt from her breeches, but brushing a smoky brown curl away from her eyes.

_Wait! _Quickfoot called out. _What about the other Two-legger? _For a moment Daine thought that Quickfoot meant Numair, and wondered how they knew about him.

"That Two-legger…he's my mate," she explained, blushing slightly. Quickfoot seemed confused.

_If he is your mate, then why is he killing the People? _Daine realized with a start that the squirrel was not referring to Numair at all, but to some other human. "Wh-what?" she stammered.

_He is short, by Two-legger standards. He carries the part of a tree that kills People. He is your mate?_

"No!" exclaimed Daine. She recognized that the "part of a tree" that Quickfoot spoke of was a bow. "My mate does not hunt. I was mistaken."

_He is here now, the other Two-legger. Just beyond those trees._

"Thank you." Daine told him kindly. She understood that the animals in the area were naturally concerned about humans hunting, but there was nothing that Daine could do about that. Not everyone in Tortall was a vegetarian. Come to think of it, no one in Tortall was a vegetarian. Just to pacify the small being, who was clearly agitated at the presence of the hunter, she made her way in the direction that Quickfoot had indicated. She passed through a thick copse of fir trees, and into a clearing. The scene she arrived upon made her gasp.

There was indeed a man in the clearing. He was a short, grizzled man; who had his bow sighted on a doe that grazed on the other side of the stretch of grass, clearly oblivious to the danger. Hearing Daine's gasp and sensing her in the vicinity, the deer twisted its head quickly, and spotting the threat, bounded away into the trees, her tail raised in fright. The hunter cursed and swung around to see who had interrupted him at such a crucial moment. He stared at Daine with fixed, piggy eyes.

"Stupid girl!" he spat, advancing on her. She stood tall, unafraid, her eyes blazing.

"You're breaking the law!" she declared, not caring how imperious and snobby she sounded. "According to the newest decree of King Jonathan, it is illegal to kill female deer during the first two months of spring!" Daine was very familiar with this law; she had invented it herself back when the deer population had been falling dangerously fast. It was because of over-hunting that the loss had been happening, and it had taken Daine a long time to convince Jonathan that change needed to happen. Apparently the law wasn't being enforced as well as it should have been.

"Ye don't fool me, talkin' all noble an' such!" the man growled. "Yer a common girl, an' I know that ye can't do nothin'! More'n that, ye just cost me a whole deer!" He raised his meaty fist in a threatening way.

"Go ahead," urged Daine smugly. She knew that if he tried to hit her, she could defend herself better than he realized. Furthermore, she did not believe that he had the guts, for all his bluster.

"Hey!" a small but courageous voice called from the other side of the clearing. "Hands off the lady!" Surprised, the man turned around to stare at what Daine could already see. A young boy of perhaps ten years of age stood on the other edge of the clearing, his fists doubled up and his brow furrowed. Daine winced. She was perfectly capable of taking care of herself, and this little boy was only going to get himself into trouble by trying to help her. Too late she realized that the overly-brave boy was making a charge at the hunter, his head bent and his feet flying. Before he could slam his stubborn head into the man's stomach, however, the man shoved the boy roughly away so that he crashed into an oak tree. Almost too fast for Daine's eyes to comprehend, a thin branch whipped down and slashed the man across the face.

His hand flew to the cut, which was bleeding sluggishly. He stared in horror at the small boy, who was breathing heavily and glaring with an intensity that was surprising for one so small.

"That…that was magic!" the man gasped. The boy grinned evilly.

"Maybe it was."

The man turned and fled without another word. Daine approached the boy.

"Are you alright?" she asked him. He was still leaning against the tree.

"I'm fine. How about you, my lady?" he asked, taking her hand and kissing it. Daine drew it away quickly.

"Thank you for attempting to save me, but I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself. What I really want to know is whether or not that was magic that just happened." The boy's smile faded.

"I…I don't know. The mages say I haven't got any gift. Margory had me tested at least five times. But the plants, they've always done what I've asked them. That man who just tried to hit you, Darren Strongarm, he's afraid of magic and everyone knows it. So I had to."

Daine's mind was whirling. What the boy was saying sounded exactly like the rhetoric she herself had used many times before she found out about wild magic. "What is your name?" she asked him.

"Pieter," he answered.

"I think you should come with me, Pieter."

Pieter eyed Daine suspiciously. "Why?" he asked. Daine sighed inwardly. It was a long story, but she would have to tell the short version.

"Look, I'm a mage, too, but a special one. No one knew I had magic until a kind man thought to look farther. I have something called wild magic. I can talk to animals and heal them, and change into them, among other things."

"You can TURN into an ANIMAL?" Pieter gasped. Daine nodded.

"Yes. Now that man, his name is Numair Salmalin, and I are going around the country searching for other wild mages to teach. Most don't realize that they have the Gift at all, let alone a special type."

Pieter looked confused. "But I can't talk to animals!" he protested.

"No, but you can talk to plants."

"Well technically plants don't talk, they just—"

"You understand what I mean, though? Your Gift might even be unique!"

"Yeah…I think so." He didn't sound so sure. "Prove it!" he exclaimed suddenly.

"What?" asked Daine, taken aback.

"Prove that you're telling the truth. Turn into a cat, or something."

"I…I can't." muttered Daine, somewhat embarrassed. "I'd lose all my clothes."

"Oh," said Pieter, blushing.

"But I can do this!" Daine extended her hand toward him and concentrated her thoughts on the large cats she had once seen in the menagerie in Carthak. Her hand quickly morphed into a huge orange paw, which looked odd compared to her more slender arms. Pieter gasped and took a step back. He examined the paw carefully from a safe three feet away.

"Wow," he said.

"Now will you come with me?" she asked. He bowed.

"I'd be glad to, my lady. If you change that back." He pointed at the paw. Daine changed back to her normal human hand.

"Okay, but stop calling me 'my lady'. I'm not a lady." Pieter looked surprised.

"I know, young maiden. I just like calling you that." He bowed to her deeply. Daine turned and began walking the other direction, and he was quick to follow.

"I'm not one to be romanced by ten year-olds, thank you." She told him curtly. He looked truly offended.

"I am _twelve_!" Pieter practically shouted. Daine paused and looked him over.

"Are you really?"

"Of course. Ask anyone. Ask Margory. She's known me all my life." Daine sincerely doubted that this scrawny, blonde boy was twelve years old, but she forewent any further discussion on the subject.

"Can I ask you some questions now?" she asked the small boy, though of course she did not need his permission.

"I suppose," he answered.

"First of all, where did you learn to talk like that?"

"Like what?"

"All proper and such. Like, 'I suppose.'" Pieter shrugged.

"Margory has always been particular on my speech."

"Who is this 'Margory you talk about? Your mother?"

"No. Margory takes care of me. My ma died when I was ten. She was carried off by spidrens." Pieter said this without any emotion in his voice. Daine suspected he had had to repeat it many times to strangers. "Ma was a servant at the fief, so Margory, the head gardener, took me in."

"You work at Fief Realan?"

"Yes."

"Numair and I are staying there, too. We are guests of Lord Yorin of Realan."

"Oh." Pieter didn't look surprised at this fact. Daine wondered if all travelers coming from the palace in Corus were invited to stay with Lord Yorin. Certainly he had been eager for news of Corus and the goings-on there.

"What about your father? Where is he?"

"I don't know. I never knew. He passed through the castle a long time ago. I don't know if my ma even really knew him. Secret lovers, you see," he confided to Daine in an undertone. She looked at him, surprised at how wise he sounded at the age of twelve…or whatever. He continued, "You and that Numer man are lovers, too. I can tell." Daine's cheeks burned bright scarlet.

"Numair, you mean? How…how can you tell?"

"Just the way you talk about him. No matter. I can deal with some competition." Pieter chucked Daine on the arm, and she stared at him, almost running into a tree as she walked without looking at her surroundings.

"Are you always so friendly to strangers?" she asked, slightly amused.

"Only the pretty ones," was his cheeky answer. If Daine had been a typical court lady, she might have been scandalized. Luckily for Pieter, Daine was far from the typical court lady. Although, she thought, maybe he could tell that on his own. After all, she was wearing a tunic and breeches. _Good point._ She said to herself. They emerged from the forest onto a large dirt road that led up through the village and all the way into the fief.

"Once we get there, you should introduce me to Margory. Then," she continued. "You'll meet Numair, and we'll see what he makes of you."

"Oh. Fantastic," mumbled Pieter. Daine couldn't tell whether or not he was being sarcastic.


	2. Chapter 2: Numair

**(This chapter has a bit of Daine/Numair Fluff...every story needs a little! Pieter in next chapter and new characters...!!)**

**(If anyone reads can they please review, too? I've had a lot of people add me to their story alert list, so I know people are reading it, but reviews are helpful, too! Suggestions are welcome, I am always open for new ideas! Oh, and I own nothing, of course.)**

It was early evening as Daine made her way back from the servants' quarters at Fief Realan. She had just met with Pieter's surrogate mother, Margory. Daine had found Margory to be a large, well-humored woman, with tanned, leathery skin from toiling under the blazing sun each day in the gardens. Margory was quick to laugh and very loving toward Pieter, and Daine suspected that the young boy was in good hands. She remembered how excited Margory had been when informed of Pieter's possible abilities.

The sun had all but set and the air was becoming dark and cool. Lately the weather had been unnaturally warm for that time of the season, and dusk had become Daine's favorite time of the day. As she approached the stables, mosquitoes accosted her in packs, and not for the first time, Daine wished she could control insects as well as animals. Slapping at her arm in an annoyed manner, she entered the warmer, smellier interior of the stables. A hostler was nodding off to sleep in a corner, although it was still very early.

Horses clamored for her attention before she had hardly taken three steps. They poked their massive heads over the rails of their stalls and whickered softly. Daine placed her finger on her lips. _Hush!_ She thought, _That Two-legger is asleep!_

A feeling came to her mind that was similar to a human giggle. _He won't wake up. He drank from that bottle; _an elderly dray horse informed her. Daine looked more closely at the man. There was, indeed, a bottle of rum slipping from between his relaxed fingers.

_He drank from the bottle __**a lot,**_ Another horse added.

_Thank you._ Daine told them. She went over to the stall where Cloud was stabled. _I just came to make sure that you're settled down alright._

_These Two-leggers are brainless. _Cloud answered offhandedly.

_Oh, good, so you like them!_

_Do not twist my words._

_Goodnight. _Daine thought, chuckling inwardly. Cloud only whinnied softly in reply.

Daine left the stables as silently as she had arrived, finally heading up into the fief itself and finding her way along the twisting corridors to the room where she and Numair were staying. She entered the room eagerly, ready to tell Numair of her discovery. Her heart sank as she saw Numair dressed in finery, seated at the dresser and combing his unruly black hair. He turned around and flashed a brilliant smile when he saw who it was.

"Hello, Daine! No, don't make that face; we really must go to dinner with him. Don't tell me you forgot? After all, he is showing us considerable hospitality by inviting us to stay here in his household. If you think about it, really, we would have to be staying in that awful inn down the road…what's-it-called, the Brown Mouse, and however fond I am of bed lice, I---"

Daine finally cut off his rant by interrupting him. "Numair! I…I didn't forget."

"Good." He said, and turned back to combing his hair. "Then you'd better get dressed, Daine. You can't go in that."

A few months ago when they had first become lovers, Numair had suddenly stopped referring to Daine as 'magelet'. Numair had explained to Daine at one point that after sharing your bed with someone it was rather hard to see them as a child anymore, and thus the nickname 'magelet' hadn't seemed sensible anymore. Nonetheless, Daine still missed the endearment.

"I have news, though," Daine spoke up. Numair turned in his seat to look at her, and the rest of her words came out in a rush. "I found someone! It's this young boy who lives in the fief. His name is Pieter and I've already talked to his guardian, she works as a gardener and—"Daine's words were cut off as Numair jumped up and wrapped her in a huge hug.

"We did it! We've found someone? Mithros, Minos and Shakith, Daine, we actually found someone! This is incredible!" Numair kissed her hard on the lips. Daine stood there, stunned.

"Well," she finally managed, "If that's how you're going to receive news from now on, I think I'll have to become the town crier!" A low, disgusted whistle issued from the corner of the room, where Kitten sat, voicing her ill will toward the joke. The small dragon had four different colors of ribbon that she was playing with. Apparently Kitten had again stolen Daine's hair ties. Numair only laughed.

"This is great news!" he exclaimed, kissing her on the nose. "It deserves some celebration. But _first!_" he added, stopping Daine's move for another kiss, "Where is this boy? I have to meet him straightaway!" Daine shook her head.

"No, you don't, Numair. I've told Pieter that we'll meet with him tomorrow morning. You can question and pester him as much as you want then, but for now you will leave him alone." Numair sighed.

"I suppose you're right."

"Now…what about that celebration?" Daine asked slyly, running her fingers down Numair's neck.

"Quite so," he agreed. "However, that celebration will be in the form of us going to dinner with the Lord of this fief." He pushed her towards her dresser. "Get dressed."

Daine headed in that direction with a fake pout adorning her lips. "You tricked me," she accused him.

"Did not."

"Did too." She answered.

"You forget, Daine, that you must first undress to redress." Numair smiled craftily. Daine giggled, thinking that she would exact revenge on Numair later.


	3. Chapter 3: Daron

**(Third Chpter finally up! Sorry for the delay! Please read and review, of course. Oh, and all characters except for some belong to TP)**

Daine smiled as she watched Numair conversing with Pieter. They were seated cross-legged in the grass (ignoring the wooden bench two feet to their right), a patchy spot of soft lawn in the otherwise wild yet tamed gardens, which were beautiful, a testimony to Margory's hard work. Daine was glad to see Numair and Pieter getting along, despite previous events.

_"It's not wild magic?" Numair practically shouted at Daine when she informed him after the dinner party. "Why didn't you tell me this before?"_

_"Well…it might be wild magic, because it's certainly not the regular gift, not from what they've told me. Not animals though."_

_"But…plants?"_

_"Is there really that much of a difference?"_

_"Yes, yes there is. Plants are nothing like animals."_

And then there was what Pieter had said when he met Numair.

_"So you're my competition, eh?"_

Numair had almost choked on his tongue when he heard that. Fortunately, he hadn't held it against Pieter. Daine hoped that Pieter wouldn't keep up courting her for long, though. She didn't want to know what Numair did to students who annoyed him constantly.

Daine tried to pay closer attention to what Numair and Pieter were talking of, but it was difficult. They had decided that if Pieter's magic was not wild magic, Daine could not do much to help him. It was up to Numair again to learn what he could about this new branch of gift and teach Pieter how to control it. Exactly as Numair had done with Daine not too many years ago.

Daine found herself watching the flight of an enormous bumblebee that hovered around the radiant flowers and occasionally landed on them, coming away with soft patches of yellow pollen clinging to its legs.

"Well, plants don't really _think_," Pieter was saying. "But they need things, like food and water, and they sense things, like light and dark. When I communicate with them I just…I'm not sure how to say it…well, I just express to them _my_ needs and then they try to help me out. It's…sort of hard to explain."

"Can you do other things with plants?" Numair asked. "Make them grow faster, bring them to life, change their nature?"

"I…don't know. Maybe. Not on purpose. Margory says that the gardens never thrived so much before I came to work in them."

"So possibly you affect plants just by being around them, but not consciously. Just like Daine and how animals are always smarter when she's been in one place too long."

Daine heard her name and looked up. "Hm?" she asked. Numair and Pieter stared at her.

"Have you been paying attention at all, dear?" he asked in an amused voice.

"No," Daine retorted. Numair smiled.

"I was just thinking of teaching Pieter how to meditate." Numair said. "Would you like to help?" Daine made a face. She disliked meditation, and found that though it sometimes eased her mind, it was too boring when she was not stressed.

"I think I'll pass," she said, getting up off of her knees. Numair shrugged and turned away, nonplussed. Daine knew that once he got going with something scholarly it was hard for him to be distracted. She had experienced it herself.

"Goodbye!" called Pieter as Daine turned to leave. When he saw her looking back at him, he winked. Shaking her head, she exited the gardens.

Fifteen minutes later found her brushing dirt out of Cloud's coat in the stables.

_Storkman won't be reachable for a long time now that you've found that plant person. _Cloud was informing her.

_For me he will be, _Daine answered.

"We have hostlers for that here, you know." A voice startled her out of her silent conversation. Daine looked up to see a twenty-or-so year old man in fine clothing standing in the entrance to the stables, smiling. It was Lord Yorin's son, Daron. Daron was a handsome you man with mousy brown hair who had flirted copiously with Daine the previous night despite Numair's repeated glares.

"I prefer to do it myself," Daine answered politely.

"It's a beautiful horse." Daron said, moving closer. He stepped forward to stroke Cloud on the nose, but Cloud jerked her head away quickly and produced a sound that sounded suspiciously like a snarl.

"Mithros!" exclaimed Daron. "Did your horse just growl at me?" Daine suppressed the urge to laugh.

"Sorry about that. She doesn't like people much." _Cloud!_ She warned. _He's nice!_

"She seems to like you just fine."

"Oh, well, I have a way with animals." Daine finished brushing Cloud and set down the curry comb on a stool.

"A way with animals!" Daron laughed. "More than that, from what Master Numair told of you last night at dinner. Besides," he continued, "I think I've heard of you."

"Lots of people have." She answered, folding her arms and smiling at him, though she was wondering where this conversation was supposed to be going. Surely he wasn't speaking to her just to be polite. _What is it with men in this area? Are the women all that ugly? _She asked Cloud.

_All Two-leggers look the same to me._ was Cloud's impertinent answer.

"Your teacher…" started Daron, "I don't think he liked me much. Did I say something to offend him?"

Daine suddenly realized that if Daron had heard news of her, it could not have been very recent. Numair was no longer her teacher at all, and obviously Daron was not aware of their relationship.

"No," answered Daine, "He just has a rash." Daron looked taken aback.

"A rash?" he asked, looking disgusted, "Really?"

"Well, I doubt you'll ever find out." Daine replied, grinning. Then she turned and left.

_He's going to think you're playing hard-to-get! _Cloud called after her.

_Good for him. _She retorted. _At least it will be entertaining to see what he tries next._

_What's a rash? _She heard a young colt ask its mother. The mare didn't reply.


	4. Chapter 4: Loneliness is conquered

**(Sorry about the delays in the updates, I've been busy lately. Hope you guys don't kill me after this chpater!! Please review, though! Stuff belongs to Tamora Pierce)**

--

Daine opened hr eyes. On the pillow next to her was a very small kitten that had somehow found her way into the bedroom and next to Daine. It had slept there all night long. Therefore there was a very fluffy small animal lying next to her, but…no Numair. She sat up, looking around the room although she could already tell he was not there.

It had been like this for a week or more, since Daine had first introduced Pieter to Numair. Every morning Numair was up at the crack of dawn, excited and pumped, ready for another day working with Pieter.

_"We've discovered that he can actually make plants grow at an extremely rapid rate!" _he would exclaim. Or,

_"We've finally named the kind of magic he's got. We're calling it Green Magic!" _he would cry as he pulled on a fresh tunic. Then he would be gone, out the door, and Daine would not see him again that day until supper when they dined with Lord Yorin, who continued to ask non-stop questions, and then Numair would leap into bed and fall asleep without any thought, apparently, for Daine. Not that she begrudged him his new findings, but she had not expected to be so lonely all the time. Kitten wasn't quite good enough company, and it seemed that today Numair had gone without even a goodbye.

Feeling great annoyance at the world in general, she raised herself out of bed and redressed herself into proper, everyday clothing while wondering what she would do with herself. The time was past when she could roam around the estate for a day and still be entertained. Finally she had an idea.

"Kit! We're going down to the village!" she announced. Only silence greeted her statement. Glancing around the room, she realized for the first time that Kitten was not even in the room. Daine was alone.

Cursing under her breath in grumbles that would have made her friend Alanna the Lioness very proud, Diane pulled on her boots and laced them up savagely, perhaps tighter than she really would have liked. She then proceeded to storm out of the household and halfway down the road before she realized that she had left without breakfast. Shaking her head and shrugging her shoulders, she continued down the path anyway. It was too late to go back now.

Daine had not yet actually explored the village. She had ridden through it her first day here, but being weary, she had not bothered to look around. It was tiny, and in a rather shabby condition. Houses were ramshackle, with dirty dogs lying on the thresholds, wagging their tails feeling as Daine passed, and small farm plots that looked as if they yielded nothing but mud.

Three small children ran past Daine, jabbing at each other with sticks. One young boy smacked a girl in the side, declaring, "Be gone, Scanran filth!" The small girl fell into a mud puddle, but rose shrieking with laughter and covered with grime.

"Ima swamp monster!" she called, racing after the other children who fled, leaving laughter drifting behind them. Daine smiled as she watched them, and continued down the main road of the village.

"Move, you stupid beast!" she heard a woman's voice call down the lane, followed by the distressed bray of a donkey. Daine's ears perked and she headed in that direction. A small woman was attempting to coax an ass into movement, slapping its rump and shouting at it. The ass was carrying two large buckets of water, and was not budging an inch. Immediately Daine could tell that both the woman and the donkey were very distressed.

"Stop that!" she said severely to the woman as she approached. The woman paused, staring at Daine.

"It won't _move_." She said, stating the obvious. "I don't know why! I have to get this water home, though, because Lorene is in bed with a fever and we've got to have fresh water so we can give her a bath and also for cooking—" Daine cut her off by raising a hand and placing it on the donkey's forehead. "Hey…what are you doing?"

"This guy has something stuck in his hoof." Daine informed her after a moment. She knelt down onto the path and tapped the donkey's foreleg until he lifted it reluctantly. There was a minute but sharp stick jammed into the donkey's foot. Daine pulled it out quickly while dulling the pain for the ass' sake. She stood up and showed the stick to the woman. "See?"

In the end, Daine offered to carry one bucket of water while the woman carried the other, and they made their way with the donkey eagerly following Daine behind them. Once they arrived at their destination Daine found herself offering to stay and help with the feverish child, using the knowledge her mother had passed on to her. It wasn't long before Daine was helping various villagers with their animals, and before she knew it, it was about noon, and her stomach was growling loud enough to scare birds away.

It was obvious that the villagers did not have much food to spare for an outsider, so before she could be invited to stay, Daine excused herself and started to make her way up to the castle. She had not been on the path for very long when she heard the thunder of horse hooves behind her and turned to see who was coming. It was Daron, waving his hand above his head as he came upon her. He slowed down, to a slow walk as he reached her.

"Hello!" he called, "Going up to the castle?"

"Yes, I was thinking of having some lunch." Daine responded, wondering where he had come riding from.

"Well, I was just out for a leisurely ride and was thinking of eating something myself," he told her, as if he had read her mind. "Want to hop up?" He patted the rump of the saddle behind him. Daine stared.

"I'd rather not, actually," she answered.

"Well then." Daron hopped down from his mount and walked it along side of her. "I'll just have to walk down here, won't I?" This made Daine smile.

Before she knew it, she was eating lunch with him. They talked of Corus and of Daine's work, of her hometown and of the Riders. One thing that was never mentioned, however, was Numair. Daine wondered if he had yet discovered about Numair's relationship with Daine.

"There aren't any others my age around here," Daron commented as they strolled through the gardens after their meal. "It gets pretty lonely. I was so glad when you came. I thought, 'Finally, some companionship.'" He smiled at her warmly, and Daine felt a blush creep up her neck. How was it that Daron seemed to be mirroring her thoughts? Daine also was comfortable, glad to finally have someone to talk to after being bored for almost five days straight.

They found themselves suddenly in a secluded nook behind a hedge of bushes. "You're very beautiful, you know." Daron remarked, staring straight at her. Daine fidgeted uncomfortably. Her mind was in turmoil. It had been fairly apparent to her that it might come to this once they had started on their walk together. The thing was…she hadn't tried to avoid it at all, and she wasn't sure what she wanted. Before she could respond, Daron made the decision for her. He leaned in and placed a hand on her cheek, then kissed her. At first she was scared, and thoughts started running through her head impossibly fast. Suddenly she remembered the past four nights, Numair fast asleep beside her, completely having forgotten to kiss her goodnight. And Daine kissed Daron back.


	5. Chapter 5: Guilt

**(( This is just a sort of in-between...it's to show you what's going on between Chapters 4 and 6, basically. Daine's feelings and such. Umm...sorry that it's so depressing, but she totally has guilt complex, so that's how it's gotta be, haha. Tamora Pierce's stuff. Oh, and Review, please!))**

It was dark. Daine opened the door to their room slowly and with great trepidation. It creaked loudly and Numair sat up in bed quickly. Daine winced as he called out softly,

"Daine?"

"It's me." she answered. She had been hoping to Mithros that Numair wouldn't notice her arrival this far past midnight, but Numair was a light sleeper. It had been foolish of her to think he might sleep through that.

"Where _were_ you?" he asked through the darkness as she sat down on the edge of the bed and began undoing the laces on her boots. She paused momentarily, glad that Numair was not able to see her face through the pitch black of a room without any lit lamps.

"There was this horse. It was, you know…injured," she lied.

"The last time I saw you was dinner, though. You can't have been healing it all that time."

"I fell asleep afterward. Sorry." She said shortly. At least that part was true. Numair seemed to accept this story and she heard him fold himself back under the blanket as was his habit.

It had been three days since Daine had kissed Daron.

_Daine pulled away suddenly, guilt flooding through her. She didn't really like Daron, she knew, she had just acted upon impulse, a stupid thing, she was lonely…Daron interrupted her speeding thoughts. "Are you alright? I didn't mean to upset you. Are men so forward in the capital?" Daine stared at him. His face seemed young and innocent. He was, after all, her age. Didn't that mean that they had more right to be together than she and Numair had? No, that was a horrible thought! Stop thinking these things!_

_"No, they are…I mean…it's just that…"_

_"There's a man, isn't there? Someone else is courting you?"_

_Daine hesitated. "N…no. There's no one."_

That was three days ago, and now where was she? Sneaking into her room after sleeping with another man? Daine shuddered. She didn't want to crawl into bed with Numair now. The past few days she had hardly seen him at all, and Daron had continued treating her like the queen of Tortall. Finally, tonight, when Daron had started unbuttoning her tunic…she had just let him.

_"Are men so forward in the capital?"_

Not enough to take a girl into their beds after knowing them for two weeks, thought Daine as she finished undressing. Why had she let him do it? She slipped into bed next to Numair. He rolled over to face her back, and slid his arms around her.

"We haven't seen each other much lately," he suggested in a whisper, his breath tickling Daine's neck. She stiffened. "Daine?"

"I'm tired."

"Oh. I'm sorry." Numair sounded slightly confused, not knowing where the coldness in her voice came from. Nonetheless he did not release her, but gave her a squeeze and proceeded to fall asleep while still embracing her. Daine blinked furiously.


	6. Chapter 6: Leaving

(**Sorry that it's taken me so long to update!!! I have been very busy lately...yesterday was my birthday! Anyway, Read and Review, and I hope I can update much more quickly next time!)**

"It's hardly my fault, is it?" shouted Numair as Daine thrust on her boots. "He's my student! We're dealing with a kind of magic that's never been known before, so of course I'm not going to have as much time for everything else in the world!"

"Not even _me_?" Daine cried, jumping up and pointing a finger at herself. "Numair, I haven't seen head or tail of you in over a week! I matter, too!"

"Of course you matter!" Numair yelled, "But some things are just…"

"What? _More _important?"

"Daine, STOP! You're not being fair!"

"I don't want to listen to this." Daine headed for the door, but Numair stepped in her way.

"I said, _stop_. Look at me, Daine. It's me, Numair. _Look_ at me. Mithros, Minos, and Shakith, Daine. Why are you acting like this?" Daine's stubborn chin showed that she wasn't about to say anything. Like a child who was being reprimanded, she avoided eye contact with Numair. "I don't want to fight," he said gently.

"Maybe you should be thinking more of other people!" hissed Daine, and she pushed past him into the hallway.

"Maybe _you _should think of other people! Do you know how ironic those words were? Daine!" But Numair's voice was fading out of her hearing as she sprinted down the hallway. She knew everything that Numair was saying was true. She was being incredibly selfish and childish. Shaking her head to rid herself of those thoughts, she made her way to the place she went whenever she was bored or upset: the stables.

She burst into the stables, a cloud of light dust from the road billowing behind her. Immediately she made her way to Cloud's stall.

_Everyone whispered about it behind our backs, and we knew, but we never did anything about it. Maybe we should have listened to them._

_What are you talking about? _Cloud asked.

_Me and Numair! _she cried, completely abandoning grammar in her distress. _Everyone said, "She's too young! She's too immature! He's too old!" That's what they always said. But we didn't care; we thought we could "work it out". Maybe they were right after all. Maybe I am too young. Maybe Numair and I were never meant to be together._ She wove her hand through Cloud's mane and pressed her face to Cloud's musty horse-neck.

_Maybe you're being a _stupid _colt._

_What?_

_You and Storkman always got along before you came here._

_So?_

_So something around here is wrong._

_Cloud, it's just a really poor village._

_What about Fancypants?_

_Fancypants? Do you mean Daron? _

_Of course! Storkman is always nice. Why do you like Fancypants?_

_I…he…_

_You're just being stupid._

_Cloud, Numair is ignoring me!_

_So? So you're just going to abandon him?_

_N-no…_Daine hadn't known it was possible to stutter in your thoughts until it actually happened.

_I have nothing further to say to you._

Daine pulled away from her horse, gaping. Cloud had never closed her out like that. _Cloud? _The pony did not answer. As she was staring in disbelief at Cloud a weary-looking man rode into the stables. He dismounted and led his horse toward Daine.

"Where can I stable my horse?" he asked. Daine felt a smile tugging on the corners of her mouth. The man thought she was a stable hand. Well, I might as well be, she thought. She showed him to an empty stall. "Do you happen to know where I can find a Verilidaine Sarrasri?" he asked when they had safely seen the horse into its living quarters. Daine looked at him in surprise, suddenly noticing the badge he wore on his breast that branded him as a Court Messenger. Suddenly Daine was intensely aware of her mussed hair and dirty clothes. She cleared her throat.

"Uh, I'm Verlidaine Sarrasri, actually." The man eyed her up and down, and then seemed to decide that the idea was plausible.

"Well, I have a message for you from King Jonathan," the man started. "He wishes to ask you whether you can come back to Corus for a few days. The lions in His Majesty's menagerie have taken sick and they don't understand what is wrong."

"Taken sick? How?"

"I'm not sure."

"Is it…" Daine stopped. She had been about to ask whether it was urgent, but then she realized that it didn't matter if it was urgent; she was going to go anyway. It would be the perfect excuse to leave.

Fifteen minutes later she was packed and mounted on Cloud, having left behind a message to Numair telling where she had gone.

That night Numair entered his rooms to find them strangely empty. There was a small piece of parchment on Daine's dresser.

_Numair,_

_Jon needs me for something in Corus._

_--Daine_

And that was all. Numair quickly opened the drawers to her dresser. All were empty. He ran to the closet and flung open the doors. Daine's clothes were nowhere to be seen. She had taken _all_ of her possessions with her.


End file.
